Himanshu (25) just could not stomach that his partner Sakshi (25), a woman he met inJodhpur four months ago, had been in a relationship earlier. In these four months, the couple had been meeting frequently with Himanshu often travelling between his hometown in Haryana and Delhi. On Tuesday night, the relationship met a horrific end — he allegedly stabbed her to death at her rented flat in South Delhi’s Andrews Ganj, said officers. Police later found that he had at least 14 cases registered against him and was involved with local gangs in Haryana. “They became acquainted and soon developed an intimate relationship. Over time, Himanshu began visiting the Capital frequently to meet her,” DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan said. Police said that over 500 CCTV clips were scanned to map his escape trail and he was eventually arrested from Rohtak in Haryana in the early hours of Thursday. On Tuesday night, it was Sakshi’s loud screams that alerted her landlord. He could also hear a man shouting. Panicked, the police said, the landlord called her son, who went upstairs, and saw bloodstains. “On the evening of October 7, a PCR call was received at the Kotla Mubarakpur police station regarding bloodstains seen on the staircase on the first floor of a house located at Kotla Mubarakpur. Police reached the spot and found the door locked. Upon opening the door, the young woman was found lying inside the room in a pool of blood, with visible injuries on her face and neck. A look around the room hinted at the signs of a possible struggle,” DCP Chauhan said. Himanshu was allegedly staying at the flat since Sunday. After killing Sakshi, he allegedly ransacked a room to make it look like a robbery gone awry. He allegedly took away her phone, the police said, as it could turn into evidence against him. “On the day of the incident, a heated argument erupted between them after Himanshu allegedly saw some photographs linked to her past relationship on her mobile phone. In a sudden fit of rage, jealousy, and possessiveness, Himanshu lost control and attacked Sakshi mercilessly with a sharp metal object, inflicting fatal injuries on her neck and face,” DCP Chauhan said. Sakshi had been living in Delhi alone. Her mother, the police said, passed away during the pandemic. A couple of years later, she lost her father too. “She was the only child of her parents and had no close family members residing in Delhi. The body was shifted to AIIMS for medical examination and preservation. From the flat, exhibits, including beer bottles, bloodstained clothes, and a knife handle, were recovered,” DCP Chauhan said. The police started scanning the CCTV footage — a blurred image of a man entering the flat on Sunday was a key clue. The footage showed the man in a checkered shirt, sleeves folded, and black shorts, moving towards the flat while scrolling his phone. “Over 500 CCTV footage covering more than 50 kilometres were meticulously scanned. His escape trail showed him leading towards Rohtak in Haryana and the suspect’s identity was confirmed as Himanshu. His number and social media accounts were tracked, which showed that he tracked gangsters on social media,” DCP Chauhan said. The accused lived with his three sisters and parents in Haryana’s Hisar. He dropped out of school in Class 10 and started getting involved with local gangs, said police, citing his dossier. He then got involved in house break-ins. “Himanshu is involved in multiple cases (with at least 14 FIRs filed) across Hansi City and Bawani Khera police stations. The offences are primarily under sections 379, 380, 411, 402, 457, and 480 IPC, which relate to theft, house-breaking, and possession of stolen property. His record indicates a pattern of repeated property offences,” DCP Chauhan said. But what really changed Himanshu, as per the investigation, was the death of his only brother, Vijay, in 2023 in an accident. Himanshu became angrier and irritable, according to residents of his locality, said officers. “His father works as a daily wager, while his mother is a homemaker. His only brother Vijay died in 2023 in a road accident, after which Himanshu’s behavioural pattern became increasingly erratic and aggressive,” DCP Chauhan said.
